Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2009-10: Frederik Tiffels skated for the Kolner EC U16 team in Germany’s Schuler B league as a 14-year-old. He scored 44 goals with 37 assists and 45 penalty minutes in 27 regular season games and had 3 goals with 3 assists and 22 penalty minutes in five playoff games.

2010-11: Tiffels moved up to the top German U18 league, skating for Jungadler Mannheim, and played for the Germany U18 and U17 teams. He scored 9 goals with 23 assists and was +12 with 27 penalty minutes in 36 DNL regular season games and was scoreless and -3 with 2 penalty minutes in four playoff games for Jungadler. Tiffels played for the Mannheimer U16 team during its championship run, appearing in four regular season games and five playoff contests. He scored 14 goals with 20 assists and 8 penalty minutes in nine U16 games. Tiffels was -2 with no points and 2 penalty minutes in six games for the Germany U18 team at the 2011 World Juniors. Germany finished sixth as the host team, falling 6-0 to Finland in the fifth-place game. Tiffels scored 2 goals with 2 assists in five games for the Germany U17 team at the 2011 World Hockey Challenge.

2011-12: Tiffels returned to Jungadler Mannheim, winning a DNL championship, and played for the Germany U18 and U17 teams. He scored 6 goals with 22 assists and was +24 with 6 penalty minutes in 36 regular season games and scored 3 goals with 5 assists, finishing +13 with no penalties, in eight DNL playoff games. Tiffels scored 2 goals and was -2 with 25 penalty minutes in six games for the Germany U18 team at the World Juniors. Germany finished sixth, falling 4-1 to Russia in the fifth-place game. Tiffels scored 2 goals with 6 penalty minutes in five games for the Germany U17 team at the World Hockey Challenge. He was selected by Moose Jaw in the first round (53rd overall) in the 2012 CHL Import Draft and was chosen by Muskegon in the second round (17th overall) in the 2012 USHL Entry Draft.

2012-13: Tiffels left Germany to play for the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks and skated for Germany’s U20 team at the 2013 World Junior Championship. He scored 3 goals with 22 assists and was +13 with 10 penalty minutes in 50 regular season games for the Lumberjacks. Muskegon finished fourth in the Eastern Conference, falling to Clark Cup champion Dubuque in a first-round playoff series. Tiffels scored 1 goal and had an even plus/minus in three playoff games. He was -8 with no points and 2 penalty minutes in six games for Germany at the WJC. Germany was ninth in the 10-team tournament, finishing ahead of Latvia to avoid relegation. In February 2013 Tiffels committed to playing college hockey at Western Michigan in 2014-15. He was not listed among the 210 North American skaters in the Central Scouting final rankings prior to the 2013 NHL Draft and was not selected in his first year of eligibility.

2013-14: Tiffels skated for three different teams in his second USHL season — enjoying late season success with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. He spent 13 games with Muskegon before being sent to Fargo for a 12-game stint and played the final 31 games of the regular season with the RoughRiders. In 56 regular season games between the three teams he scored 14 goals with 25 assists and was +9 with 10 penalty minutes (He scored 9 goals with 18 assists for Cedar Rapids). In four USHL playoff games he scored 1 goal and was -2 with 2 penalty minutes. Tiffels scored 3 goals with 2 assists and was -2 with 12 penalty minutes in seven games for Germany at the WJC. Germany finished ninth, defeating Norway, 3-1, in the relegation round to remain in the top pool.

2014-15: Tiffels was the fifth-leading scorer for Western Michigan University as a freshman. In 32 games he scored 11 goals with 10 assists and was +6 with 14 penalty minutes. The Broncos finished seventh in the NCHC, taking first-place Miami to a decisive third game in the conference quarterfinals, falling 4-0. Not among the 210 North American skaters in the 2015 Central Scouting final rankings in his third year of draft eligibility, Tiffels was selected by Pittsburgh in the sixth round (167th overall) in the 2015 NHL Draft.

2015-16: Tiffels skated in 36 games for Western Michigan in his sophomore season. He was the Broncos’ fourth-leading scorer with 7 goals and 10 assists and was -16 with 25 penalty minutes. Western Michigan finished seventh in the NCHC and was swept by second-place St. Cloud State in a quarterfinal series in the conference tournament, ending the year 8-25-3.

Talent Analysis

The thing that stands out about Tiffels immediately is his skating, in particular his speed. The German forward is a natural skater, who has good pivots, edging, and top speed. He needs to get stronger, as he is too easily knocked off the puck and does not win enough battles in the corners, but he has a projectable NHL frame. He also needs to improve his defensive game, and learn to play more consistently. Tiffels has some skill, which he has demonstrated at the NCAA level, but he will likely be more of a depth player in the pros.

Future

Tiffels skated for Western Michigan in 2015-16, playing in all 36 games for the Broncos as a sophomore. A scoring forward with some offensive skills, he will return to WMU for his junior season in 2016-17 as the Broncos try and turn things around. He projects as a second or third line scorer.

Photo: Western Michigan forward Frederik Tiffels was the leading scorer for Germany at the 2015 World Junior Championship, having produced four points (2G, 2A) in six games (courtesy of Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

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Photo: Medicine Hat Tigers forward Markus Eisenschmid will be an important part of Germany’s offensive attack at the 2015 World Junior Championship (courtesy of Marissa Baecker/Getty Images)

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Photo: Muskegon Lumberjacks forward Fredrik Tiffels is competing for Germany at the 2013 WJC, but he and his German teammates have had a tough time so far in that tournament (courtesy of Ellen DeLuca)

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Photo: Green Bay Gamblers forward Grigory Dikushin (#97) is competing in his second USHL season after coming over from Russia for the 2011-12 season (courtesy of Rick Schaffer)

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